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[Chanté]

I almost always have a "glowy" (aka shiny), makeup-less face which, needless to say, looks decent in real life but looks bad in photos. ^^; For conventions, I use Loreal's Mattique foundation - as the name implies, it does a great job giving your face a matte look. ^_^

[Cyber Wolf]

Originally Posted by nekhochan

Can I ask you what information you have to back up the fact that you believe makeup ages your face? Because its false. In fact, when makeup is worn, applied and brands used that have safe ingredients, makeup can HELP your skin by providing sun protection and even have ingredients in it to treat the signs of aging. New mineral based makeups can even help those who suffer from rosachea or inflamation as the minerals are a natural anti-inflammatory and soothe the skin. If someone was to apply a nasty makeup that contained ingredients like mineral oils that clog pores, and that didn't have an spf and they had lots of sun exposure, and applied it with improper technique and somehow damaged their skin by pulling, scraping, tearing or excessively rubbing the skin then maybe they could do damage. Also sleeping in makeup is terrible, so thats another way makeup could be harmful. But otherwise makeup is harmless. I actually take comfort in the fact that there is something on my skin between me and the aweful polluted air we live in.

But I must agree about the sun exposure. Its aweful and so not worth it. All your doing is lining the pockets of tanning bed companies today, and plastic surgeons, dermatologists and cancer specialists in the future.

That's true, makeup doesn't age your face, it actually protects it. What determines how quickly or severly you'll age is based on how much collagen your skin contains. Fairer people have less and darker people have more(collagen). *Dad told her this* :3 He's a scientist so...I trust him >>

[Olivia]

Ok, 'un, it ain't gonna happen. I putt pounds of powder and pounds of foundation on before taking photos and I still look horrible. That's why I have photoshop so I can fix the bags under my eyes easily

[Eleryth]

What about redness? I find that in nearly every photo, I'm just crazy red! I don't know much about makeup, and I usually only put on a foundation from MAC (it's a powdery thing, sorta... in a black case, with a little sponge thing inside). I just get red quickly - sports, laughing, embarrassment - you name it. I look like a sunburned cherrry.

Am I supposed to apply something in an opposite color to even it out? Problem is, I am not that red *all* the time, so I can't tell when putting on makeup if it will do anything.

Help?

[Chanté]

Originally Posted by Eleryth

What about redness? I find that in nearly every photo, I'm just crazy red! I don't know much about makeup, and I usually only put on a foundation from MAC (it's a powdery thing, sorta... in a black case, with a little sponge thing inside). I just get red quickly - sports, laughing, embarrassment - you name it. I look like a sunburned cherrry.

Am I supposed to apply something in an opposite color to even it out? Problem is, I am not that red *all* the time, so I can't tell when putting on makeup if it will do anything.

Help?

Look for a product (concealer) that's meant to cover up redness - search your local drugstore. You'll notice that it's typically a sea green shade - that's because sea green tones out the red and leaves your face a neutral color. I don't know if stuff like that is available for the entire face (it's usually to cover up pimples and smaller red discolorations), but I don't see why you couldn't try it.

[nekhochan]

if you are always that red you might want to explore the idea that you might have rosachea. In that case, you can use topical prescriptions to keep yourself less red. Check with a dermatologist to know for sure.

[dchan]

Originally Posted by nekhochan

if you are always that red you might want to explore the idea that you might have rosachea. In that case, you can use topical prescriptions to keep yourself less red. Check with a dermatologist to know for sure.

Well, but she already said that she's not red all of the time :x

On of my biggest problems for red-ness is my chest... x.x;; ... again its not there MOST of the time, but if I get embarassed or anything it turns bright red. I've attempted to put make-up on before but I generally end up being red for a long time after I apply it x.x;

[Killmesarah]

The best stuff I have ever used is called "Pan-cake" makeup from Max factor. It is in a blue, round, flat container, pressed dry. You would buy a sea-sponge(ask lady in store if you can't find), wet it down, squeeze it out and then rub it in the pan'cake make-up. Cover your whole face with it, and it will look like you just photo-shopped your face! It really works miricles! I wore it to my wedding, and my face looked flawless.
FYI though- SCRUB your face afterwards, because if you don't get it all off, it DESTROYS your pores!

Sarah-san

[China-Lilly]

Eleryth,

For redness, I'd suggest a yellow-toned concealer, rather than a green one. Reason being, if you don't blend properly, or don't put on enough foundation over the colour corrector - you'll end up looking green!

It could simply be though, that whatever foundation you're using simply isn't offering enough coverage. Switch to one with more coverage - even though it covers more, doesn't mean it doesn't have a natural looking finish.

I agree with Killmesarah - Max Factor Pancake and Panstick too, are great products. But be careful not to be too heavy handed with these. Panstick also makes an awesome concealer for under eye circles. Using a damp sponge with panstick sheers the finish, so you are able to get almost any level of coverage you want. Same with pancake - the amount of water on the sponge controls how much coverage you get.

dchan - MAC makes a great foundation for body called MAC Face & Body foundation. I don't think it will cancel out your situation totally, because it sounds like you flush red from time to time, but wearing a foundation on your chest should make your flush less obvious.

[kiddevil]

Originally Posted by Lottie

This helps a lot! *is makeup impared* I shall have to keep an eye out for these products.

I have a question! My face is waaay to shiny, mainly my forehead and my nose, what are some good products to help take the shine away?

There is this stuff I use from Clean&Clear called Invisible Shine-Control Powder. It works really well to hide the shinyness, at least for me it did. ^^

[AlacLGane]

I take that all this (minus the eyeliner, eyeshadow, blam, etc. unless duely needed) would work for men, too? My skin always looks so shiny, even after washing my face and exfoliating (yes, I do.. It's healthy)... Oily skin sucks.

..Sorry if this has been said already, but I didn't check, and I don't know if you can delete posts.

[Maiyu.C]

For loose powder, this is a pretty good one:
http://www.ettusais.co.jp/amulet/dap.html

It is by Ettusais. I'm not sure where you can get it in the US as I don't get mine from the US. I usually get mine when I go back to Japan.

The benefits of this is that:
It has minerals. A,C and E and also has a SPF of 15. And it is also light and works as an absorbing powder for those with oily skin. The website boasts that it is basically a loose powder that acts as moisturizer. But loose powders that act like moisturizers are the craze in Japan. It is nothing very new.

Ettusais also makes good concealers. It is called Ettusais Whitening Concealer. It helps whitens the scars on your face so I use it regularly even when I sleep! It has helped me lighten the scars on my face from pimples.

[katabulous]

Arrrgh. Most people consider me lucky because I have nearly flawless skin.
BUT; in con photos I always look sweaty, flushed and tired. (Puffy, shiny, obscenely rosey cheeks)

Anyone got any advice?

[AnimesChild65]

wow...::writes everything down:: question! How do I make my skin look REALLY pale for when I'm cosplaying Kanna? I have freckles and I'm slightly tan, so it doesn't always work out....

[China-Lilly]

For those of you with oily skin - you can try a T-zone mattifier. These are usually silicone-based products with oil-absorbing properties. I personally prefer Chanel T-mat. But only use a tiny amount (pea-size or smaller), otherwise you can get streaking. I use this underneath makeup, so it's the first thing on my skin.

A cheaper alternative is Milk of Magnesia. This is an antacid sold for babies. Just shake the bottle to make the solid and liquid mix, put on a cotton pad and swipe evenly on face. Wait til it's absolutely dry, and check for white streaks. It helps to buff the face with another (dry) cotton pad to make sure when it's dry. Then apply makeup normally over it. I'm not sure how well this photographs though, but it keeps me matte for many hours.

The next best thing is powder. Mattifiers are good when you don't want to keep touching-up, but re-powdering also helps. MAC Blot is a good one because it mattifies without adding colour, which can make your base cake up. Jurlique Silk Dust is good at oil controlling, but it's white and I don't think it's completely translucent, so a light touch is needed.

AnimesChild65 - I wouldn't advise going too light unless you're prepared to go all the way with foundation, concealer, powder and constant retouches. I think it would be fairly easy to go one or two shades lighter with a slightly lighter tinted moisturiser or foundation, concealer for freckles (if you want to cover them) and powder over with a lighter powder. I usually go for a pale yellow powder and not white because the yellow counteracts redness in my skin which makes me look paler anyway.